


Tea with a Tonberry

by dagas isa (dagas_isa)



Category: Final Fantasy X-2
Genre: Bloodplay, Community: help_japan, Community: kink_bingo, Costume Kink, F/F, Knifeplay, Multi, Plushie Kink, Video Game Mechanics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-07
Updated: 2011-08-07
Packaged: 2017-10-22 08:59:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/236348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dagas_isa/pseuds/dagas%20isa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Paine hosts a tea party, tonberry-style.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tea with a Tonberry

**Author's Note:**

  * For [crankyoldman](https://archiveofourown.org/users/crankyoldman/gifts).



Paine feels a preternatural calm sweep over her when the final piece of her Tonberry dressphere manifests. The whole costume encloses her, and the mentality of the Tonberry overtakes her—rage, not frozen, not boiling, just a lukewarm urge that promises that those who spite her shall be punished. Though Paine welcomes the change in mindset, she also knows well the consequences of losing herself completely. Ultimately, this is a game with rules and limits not to be broken. She vows to keep her wits about her.

The light filters in through the transparent mesh in the costume’s nose, and even though Paine’s field of vision has narrowed, she swears that her other senses have become more acute—hearing and smell in particular. The information her senses deliver tells her one thing: her prey fears her. No, it’s not merely fear they feel. They want to have her grudge borne upon them almost as much as the Tonberry needs to alleviate the cold pressure inside. As they wish.

She shuffles into the garden, where afternoon tea and her guests—unfortunate, undeserving souls—congregate. They sit mannerly in front of the cake knives and the petit fours thanks to the lengths of ropes that keep them secure in their proper seats. Yuna in the gaudy robes of Lady Luck—good or bad, the sphere never specifies the type of luck—watches every move Paine makes with wide eyes, while Rikku, a black mage, remains properly silenced. They look so exposed, so vulnerable. A surge of power rises in Paine—the woman, not the Tonberry—to realize how well-shielded she is within her costume.

The sense of safety makes her playful too, as much as a sweltering warrior in a Tonberry costume can be. Paine had never been one for tea parties and dolls as a young girl, but actually being the plush animal shifts the perspective ever-so-slightly. No one can see the slight smile—as much as a Tonberry can smile—on her face as she pours the tea into the little porcelain cups, one each for Yuna and Rikku. A gleam catches Paine's eyes, distracting her from her task. The freshly honed chef's knife sits on the table next to the teapot. The dressphere mechanics allow for her natural manual dexterity, so much that Paine has to catch herself from forgetting that she merely wears a costume rather than becomes the personality stored inside the cloudy orb.

With the knife in one plush hand and one of the teacups held gingerly in the other, Paine shuffles towards Yuna, who tracks Paine’s slow motion around the table with her eyes. Paine sets the tea cup down on the table, and takes a lock of Yuna’s hair in hand. On the surface Yuna appears to take the touch stoically. However, Paine's enhanced senses can smell the perfume of combined fear and arousal, and Yuna's face can't fully contain the character-breaking smile. If she’s scared, Paine assesses, it’s the good kind of scared. Paine kneels in front of Yuna—a Tonberry before a Saloon Lady—and considers her next move. Paine’s free hand takes the tea cup off the table and holds it to Yuna’s lips.

"Open." The knife goes in the bare patch of Yuna's chest, right between the spade that marks the center of her sternum and the strap that connects the two satin panels that just barely cover her breasts. Without complaint, Yuna opens her lips and accepts the cup. A thrill rushes through Paine as Yuna takes in the liquid. A trail of tea escapes her mouth and lands in droplets on her chest.

The first impact reawakens the Tonberry’s lukewarm grudge. The teacup returns to the table, and the knife moves a little lower, and a flick of Paine’s wrist cuts the thin line of fabric apart. The barrier is little more than symbolic, but with those loose threads the wall between woman and costume threatens to crumble. The tip of the knife presses against Yuna's stomach, and just a little more and the Tonberry will…

"Paine?" Yuna whispers, fear momentarily winning over arousal, "Are you there, Paine?"

The woman reawakens. The knife goes down to her side. "I'm here. Too much?"

Yuna nods, and Paine reminds herself that she must remain in control. The hand holding the knife trembles: The Tonberry mindset, barely contained, doesn’t understand the line of consent that the woman—the one inside the costume, making decisions—knows she must hold. She turns the blade flat against Yuna’s skin and makes one little cut. A dribble of blood reddens the cut-line, and Yuna’s breathing eases.

The Tonberry lets off all the weight Paine only now realizes they both bear together. Paine lowers her head to Yuna’s body in a show of affection that for any other creature would be a nuzzle, but for the cold and predatory Tonberry must be more akin to playing with one’s food. When Paine finally comes up and looks at Yuna’s expression, the smile is shaky, but there and genuine. Enjoyment has won.

The sound of a sigh distracts Paine. It’s Rikku. The silence spell must have worn off while Paine neglected her other guest in attendance to Yuna. This lack of hospitality and vengeance must be remedied. Paine sets the tainted chef’s knife down on the table, and slyly brushes her hand against the handle of the fresh knife in her pocket.

Rikku shivers when Paine's plush-covered hand pushes up the wide brim of her sorcerer's hat. There's definite fear in Rikku’s deep green eyes and the soft touches down her face and neck do nothing to reassure her. "Paine…" is the only decipherable word that comes out between Rikku’s distressed—delicious—whimpers. The Tonberry revels in them, perhaps too much.

"Shhhh," Paine commands. She withdraws the spare knife from her pocket. The top of Rikku's black mage dress splits under the blade's slight pressure. The knife’s tip traces a shallow line down Rikku's breastbone, while Paine chants the Tonberry's silence spell. With the first line of blood, the whimpers come to an abrupt stop. Tears pour down Rikku's face instead. Paine has yet to have her heart hardened against them, but to the Tonberry shell she occupies so perfectly the droplets are an interesting novelty. Her eyes go to Rikku's left hand, just loose enough to raise in case of surrender. It remains in place, and so Paine’s plush hand brushes aside the tears and revels in them.

The Tonberry's eyes gleam. The knife presses down again, splitting the dress all the way down the front. Paine traces the tip of the knife up and down Rikku's skin, barely scratching the surface and leaving only the faint white trail of scratches. The hand not holding the knife reaches between Rikku's legs and begins to rub it against her clit. Paine smells Rikku's arousal instead of feeling the moisture as Rikku grinds against the mitt. When Paine looks up, she sees Rikku biting her lips—fighting against moans that the Tonberry's knife has already silenced. With Rikku so vulnerable and grinding against the plush hand, the Tonberry works peacefully with the knife, making tiny shallow marks on stomach of her grudge's recipient. Rikku's trembling legs are the only sign of her climax. Her stomach comes up on the blade, making one more cut, just barely deep enough that the blood comes out in beads. Paine lowers her Tonberry snout to the line of blood and symbolically consumes it.

The rancor cools slightly. Above her but bound, Rikku smiles at her and trembles.

"Hungry?" Paine asks, voice raspy. She sets the knife on the table right next to the one she used for her vengeance against Yuna. The petit fours set up on the table have yet to be touched, and this is a party after all. The tea would not be complete without refreshments.

Rikku nods—she wouldn't dare indicate otherwise. Paine's hands are clumsy as she prepares tea with milk and lots of sugar, the way Rikku prefers. Paine brings over the cup, and as with Yuna, holds the cup while Rikku sips slowly. When Rikku lifts her hand, Paine sets down the cup and picks up a petit four.

"Open," Paine commands and Rikku obeys immediately and takes a bite. As Rikku chews, Paine turns her attention to Yuna again. After all, she can't abandon either one of her guests, even after her rancor has been satisfied. Only when the party ends and her guests are satiated, may Paine lift the head off her Mascot costume and allow the cool air to touch her face and finally split the Tonberry's mentality from her own.

 

\--

Back on the Celsius with everyone unbound and wearing their usual clothes and carrying no residual memories, Rikku starts in on the ribbing—complete with, yes, actual elbows to Paine’s ribs. "You really got into wearing that Tonberry costume, didn't you?"

Paine turns around and snaps her head away, not caring to think about her behavior. In retrospect, she should have been better in control. "It was a role."

"And you really enjoyed it. There's nothing wrong with that."

"Rikku…"

"Oh! Do you have a grudge against me now?" Rikku's grin goes all the way up to her eyes. "Are you going to punish me?"

In the background, Yuna covers her smile with her hand, and the snicker that hits Paine’s ears definitely belongs to her. Of course, when Paine glares, Yuna just smiles innocently. Paine herself smiles faintly, not at Yuna but at the way the situation played out. After all, even with the sting of truth to Rikku's words—that she definitely went too deep in the costume for her own comfort, Paine does know one other bit of truth.

"You would enjoy that, wouldn't you? In fact," Paine slides her hand into her pocket, as though feeling for her garment grid, "I bet if I changed back, your scent would still be on the costume."

Rikku blushes. "Maybe. Wouldn’t you like to find out, Ms. Tonberry?" She takes off at a run.

After a glare at Yuna, who’s giggling at the antics and a terse “I’ll be back for you later,” Paine launches forward and chases after Rikku.


End file.
